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Chickpeas with Spinach and Eggs

(Budget-Friendly, Vegetarian, Easy One-Pot Recipe)

Written By: Byron | March 17, 2023
a large pan of chickpeas with spinach and eggs is topped with some chopped parsley

Chickpeas with spinach and eggs is a fantastic veggie meal that is budget-friendly and can be made in around an hour with simple pantry staples. For this recipe, we use frozen spinach, tinned chickpeas, tinned tomatoes, and a few simple spices to create a fantastic meal that’s full of smoky flavor. 

To top things off, crack a few eggs on top and you’ve got the perfect healthy brunch to start the day off right! Of course, you can have this any time of day and it’s easily a dinner with some rice or bread. 

Budget-Friendly Recipe | Vegetarian Recipe | One-Pot | Easy Recipe | Main Meal Recipe| Andalusian Recipe | Budget Recipe | High Protein | High Fiber

Serving:

Main 6 servings

Ready in:

55 mins

Skill level:

Easy

Serve with:

Fresh bread

ingredients used to make chickpeas with spinach and eggs are laid out on a wodden counter.

Ingredients you’ll need 

(makes 6 servings)

    • 14oz. (400g) canned chickpeas 
    • 17oz. (500g) frozen spinach (thawed)
    • 14oz. (400g) can of diced tomatoes 
    • 4 fresh eggs
    • 1 small onion, sliced fine
    • 4 garlic cloves 
    • 2-3 slices of dry white bread (grated into crumbs) 
    • 1 tablespoon (5 g) of ground cumin 
    • 1 tablespoon (5 g) of smoked paprika
    • 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
    • 60ml/ 2 fl. oz. of ketchup 
    • 60ml/ 2 fl. oz. of apple cider vinegar 
    • ½ cup (236ml/ 8 fl. oz.) of olive oil 
    • Salt (optional) 
    • Pinch ground black pepper (optional)

    Equipment needed

    • A large 12-inch (30cm) pan or skillet

     Watch step-by-step recipe video

    If you’re looking for this recipe’s video and many other great recipe ideas, why not check out our Spanish Radish YouTube Channel? We’ve got everything from quick and easy tapas recipes, delicious main meals, and incredible Spanish dessert options too.

    Why you’ll love this recipe

    • Easy to make
    • One-pot recipe
    • Budget-friendly
    • Vegetarian
    • Filling
    • High in protein
    • High in Fiber

    How to make chickpeas with spinach and eggs

    Step 1 – Prepare the sofrito sauce

    • On medium heat, fry the sliced onion and garlic and a little olive oil in a pan until it becomes golden. This should take around 5 minutes.
    • Increase the heat of the pan to high and with the pan hot, add the spinach and grated bread (or breadcrumbs) to the mixture and a little more oil. Mix well, you should see it start to thicken. Cook for around 5 minutes.
    • Next, reduce the heat to medium and add the ketchup, apple cider vinegar and mix well. 
    • Stir thoroughly until you have a paste, then add the tinned tomatoes. Leave to simmer on a medium heat for 5 minutes.

    Step 2 – Add the spices and chickpeas

      • Add the spices and chickpeas with a splash more oil (optional) and stir through. Allow to simmer for at least 5 minutes on medium heat. 
    • Note: Simmering for 15-20 minutes is recommended as it will allow the chickpeas to soften and absorb more flavors. 

    Step 3 – Add eggs and serve

    • Crack 4 eggs on top and cover the pan with a lid. Cook until the eggs become opaque and white in color, this should take around 4-5 minutes on medium heat. 
    • Finally, check the flavoring and season with some cracked black pepper and salt if you like. 
    • For a little color, add a pinch of sweet, hot, or smoked paprika over the eggs, and serve!
    a pan of chickpeas with spinach and eggs is being served.

    Authentic Spanish recipe

    Variations of Spinach with Chickpeas recipes can be found in the Andalusia region. You’ll find them lovingly served, with great care and dedication on display for such a humble dish. 

    The best thing about spinach with chickpeas is it’s super easy to make and can easily be made with a few pantry staples. It’s great as a main meal when served with some fresh bread to soak up the juices, or serve as a tasty tapas. Of course, with a few eggs on top, this classic Spanish recipe becomes the perfect breakfast or brunch recipe! 

    Check out this other authentic vegan spinach with chickpeas recipe here!

    Easy-to-find ingredients

    There’s nothing better than recipes that use easy-to-find and budget-friendly ingredients to make a delicious and hearty meal, and this Chickpeas with Spinach recipe ticks all the boxes! It’s easy to make, and all the veg and beans you need to make this recipe can be purchased tinned or frozen. 

    Frozen Spinach

    Frozen spinach is a fantastic ingredient that loses little nutritional value when frozen. It’s often considerably cheaper than fresh spinach and only requires thawing and straining in some fresh warm water for a few minutes before use.

    Canned tomatoes

    They are cheap, easy to find, and probably already hiding in the back of the pantry somewhere — canned or jarred tomatoes are a cheap ingredient that is perfect for this recipe. The authentic Spinach and chickpeas recipe does not use tomatoes, but for this recipe, we found adding a can of tomatoes really works well! 

    If you prefer to use fresh tomatoes, find ripe tomatoes and remove the skin (or grate them). Keep as much of the juice as possible as this will help add layers of flavor to the dish.

    Canned chickpeas

    Chickpeas are typically available in dried or canned (or jarred) form. They’re cheap and an excellent ingredient for bulking up recipes. Chickpeas are packed with carbohydrates that slowly release energy after eating them. This makes them very filling and healthy for your gut too. Win-win! You might also like this chickpea and spinach soup with smoked paprika. 

    Nutrition facts for a 1-cup serving of cooked chickpeas: 

    • 269 calories.
    • 14 grams of protein.
    • 4 grams of fat.
    • 12 grams of dietary fiber.
    • 80 milligrams (mg) of calcium.
    • 4.74 mg of iron.
    • 78.7 mg of magnesium.

    We used canned chickpeas for this recipe, simply for convenience as they require no preparation before cooking. Dried chickpeas require cooking and some preparation before being used in recipes.

    Dried chickpeas preparation instructions:

    If you’re using dried chickpeas, then allow some extra time to prepare the dried chickpeas. 

    • First, soak the dried chickpeas in some clean fresh water overnight. The chickpeas will expand around twice their size so add at least double the amount of water to the chickpeas in a large bowl. 
    • Next, drain them from the water and add them to a pan with some fresh water. 
    • Cook them in the pan for around 2 hours for them to soften up. Alternatively, use a slow cooker or pressure cooker to prepare your chickpeas.

    Nutrition facts

    Serving size: 180g

    Servings: 6

    Amount per serving

     

    Calories

    474

    % Daily Value*

    Total Fat 24.7g

    32%

    Saturated Fat 3.9g

    19%

    Cholesterol 123mg

    41%

    Sodium 252mg

    11%

    Total Carbohydrate 48.6g

    18%

    Dietary Fiber 13g

    47%

    Total Sugars 10.6g

     

    Protein 18.3g

     

    Vitamin D 1mcg

    3%

    Calcium 117mg

    9%

    Iron 6mg

    34%

    Potassium 678mg

    14%

    *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.

     

    a pan of chickpeas with spinach and eggs sits beside some sliced bread.

    Nutrition facts

    Serving size: 200g

    Servings: 6

    Amount per serving

     

    Calories

    410

    % Daily Value*

    Total Fat 4.4g

    6%

    Saturated Fat 0.5g

    2%

    Cholesterol 0mg

    0%

    Sodium 791mg

    34%

    Total Carbohydrate 79.7g

    29%

    Dietary Fiber 11.1g

    40%

    Total Sugars 6.5g

     

    Protein 14.3g

     

    Vitamin D 0mcg

    0%

    Calcium 88mg

    7%

    Iron 6mg

    31%

    Potassium 485mg

    10%

    *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.

    a large pan of chickpeas with spinach and eggs.

    Chickpeas with Spinach and Eggs (budget-friendly recipe)

    Byron
    Chickpeas with spinach and eggs is a fantastic veggie meal that is budget-friendly and can be made in around an hour with simple pantry staples. For this recipe, we use frozen spinach, tinned chickpeas, tinned tomatoes, and a few simple spices to create a fantastic meal that’s full of smoky flavor.
    To top things off, crack a few eggs on top and you’ve got the perfect healthy brunch to start the day off right! Of course, you can have this any time of day and it’s easily a dinner with some rice or bread.
    4.84 from 12 votes
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 45 minutes
    Total Time 55 minutes
    Course dinner, Main Course, main meal, vegetarian
    Cuisine andaluz, Authentic Spanish recipe, Spain, spanish
    Servings 6 servings
    Calories 474 kcal

    Equipment

    • A large 12-inch (30cm) pan or skillet

    Ingredients

    • 14 oz. 400g canned chickpeas
    • 17 oz. 500g frozen spinach (thawed)
    • 14 oz. 400g can of diced tomatoes
    • 4 fresh eggs
    • 1 small onion sliced fine
    • 4 garlic cloves
    • 2-3 slices of dry white bread grated into crumbs
    • 1 tablespoon 5 g of ground cumin
    • 1 tablespoon 5 g of smoked paprika
    • 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
    • 60 ml/ 2 fl. oz. of ketchup
    • 60 ml/ 2 fl. oz. of apple cider vinegar
    • ½ cup 236ml/ 8 fl. oz. of olive oil
    • Salt optional
    • Pinch ground black pepper optional

    Instructions
     

    Step 1 – Prepare the sofrito sauce

    • On medium heat, fry the sliced onion and garlic and a little olive oil in a pan until it becomes golden. This should take around 5 minutes.
      1 small onion, 4 garlic cloves, ½ cup 236ml/ 8 fl. oz. of olive oil
      diced onion in a pan
    • Increase the heat of the pan to high and with the pan hot, add the spinach and grated bread (or breadcrumbs) to the mixture and a little more oil. Mix well, you should see it start to thicken. Cook for around 5 minutes.
      17 oz. 500g frozen spinach (thawed), 2-3 slices of dry white bread
      Spinach is added to a pan of sauteed onions and garlic.
    • Next, reduce the heat to medium and add the ketchup, apple cider vinegar and mix well.
      60 ml/ 2 fl. oz. of ketchup, 60 ml/ 2 fl. oz. of apple cider vinegar
      tomato sauce and vinegar are added to a pan of sauteed spinach and onions.
    • Stir thoroughly until you have a paste, then add the tinned tomatoes. Leave to simmer on a medium heat for 5 minutes.
      14 oz. 400g can of diced tomatoes
      A large can of tomatoes is added to a pan of sauteed spinach

    Step 2 – Add the spices and chickpeas

    • Add the spices and chickpeas with a splash more oil (optional) and stir through. Allow to simmer for at least 5 minutes on medium heat.
      Note: Simmering for 15-20 minutes is recommended as it will allow the chickpeas to soften and absorb more flavors.
      14 oz. 400g canned chickpeas, 1 tablespoon 5 g of ground cumin, 1 tablespoon 5 g of smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
      Chickpeas are added to. pan

    Step 3 – Add eggs and serve

    • Crack 4 eggs on top and cover the pan with a lid. Cook until the eggs become opaque and white in color, this should take around 4-5 minutes on medium heat.
      4 fresh eggs
      Some eggs are added to a pan of chickpeas with spinach.
    • Finally, check the flavoring and season with some cracked black pepper and salt if you like.
      Salt
      a pan of chickpeas with spinach and eggs sits beside some sliced bread.
    • For a little color, add a pinch of sweet, hot, or smoked paprika over the eggs, and serve!
      Pinch ground black pepper
      a large pan of chickpeas with spinach and eggs.

    Video

    Keyword budget, budget-friendly recipe, chickpeas, Easy Dinner ideas, easy stew, Eggs, one-pot recipe, spinach, vegetarian meal

    Cooking Tips and FAQs

    How long does chickpeas with spinach and eggs take to make? 

    • Prep time: 10 minutes
    • Cook time: 30-45 minutes
    • Total time: 55 minutes. 

    Is this recipe healthy? 

    This recipe is considered healthy, although it is a little high in fat, with a 180g serving containing 32% of your recommended daily intake of fats. People who are watching their cholesterol levels should also consume in moderation. It is fatty due to the oil. Extra virgin olive oil is nutritious if you can use this and has many health benefits. 

    Where does Spinach and chickpeas originate?

    Andalusia, Spain. Spinach and chickpeas, or ‘Espinacas con garbanzos’ in Spanish, is a super popular tapas recipe throughout the Andalusia region. 

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    2 Comments

    1. Alyssa

      5 stars
      This was delicious and so easy! Followed the recipe exactly, and it was a big hit. Definitely going to make this dish on repeat.

      Reply
      • Byron

        Thank you! Glad you and your family liked it! Happy cooking!

        Reply

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